local worlds

“Continuar a viver (Os Índios da Meia-Praia”)” [“And life goes on” (The Meia-Praia Indigenous people)] by António da Cunha Telles
Portugal, 1975, 108’. Production: Filmes de Fundo

Meia-Praia is a small fishing community in the suburbs of Lagos, Algarve. After the 25th Revolution in 1974, this community experiences an original and unique change in their lives. The old huts are replaced by houses made of stone, that are built by the inhabitants, themselves (the so called Meia-Praia Indians). Along with this change, a new hope arises – the foundation of a fishing co-operative. However, together with this aspiration, the population come face to face with doubts, contradictions and disillusionment , as well as the first free election after the fall of the dictatorship.

ANTONIO ALEXANDRE COHEN DA CUNHA TELLES was born on 26th February 1935 in Funchal, archipelago of Madeira, Portugal. Since his early age, still at the high school, he starts making 9,5 mm films, which he develops and edits. He attends Medical School at the University of Lisbon, where he also directs some scientific films in 16mm and he directs some documentaries for RTP, in its initial phase (1956). He quits University to work full time in cinema. He studies in Paris for 5 years, from 1956 to 1961, where he attends several cinema courses and obtains the following certificates: a I.D.H.E.C. direction and production certificate, at the Institut des Hautes Etudes Cinématographiques (he receives a “Assez Bien” mention); A Film Certificate by the Institut de Filmologie, at the Literature Faculty of the University of Paris (Sorbonne); Certificate of “Expert en Techniques Audio-visuelles” by the Audiovisual Center at the École Normale Supérieure de Saint-Cloud. He is the founder and delegate-producer of FF-FilmesFundo, a company that produces Portuguese films, since October 2004.